Page 22 - Florida Sentinel 11-8-19

Health
Bacterial Bed Buddies
Bedroom Breakouts
You spend a third of your life in bed. So clean bed linens should be one of your must-do chores. Think of the drool, sweat, dandruff, and other “stuff” you leave be- tween the sheets. Ideally, you ought to launder them weekly, or at least every other week. But a recent survey found that Americans tend to be sheet slackers, going 25 days between washes.
Mite-y Gross
You shed 500 million skin cells a day. Many slough off while you roll around in bed. All those dead cells pile up on your sheets in between washings. Tiny dust mites love to feed on the shed cells. The critters and their droppings can trigger al- lergies, asthma, and cause your itchy eczema to flare. If you’re allergic to dust mites, wash bedding every week in hot water.
Sickly Sheets
If you or your partner has been ill, toss your sheets into the wash right away to kill any lingering germs. Most bacteria or viruses can survive on soft surfaces for min- utes to hours. The duration varies based on the specific microbe. For example, flu viruses live on tissues for just 15 minutes, but some stomach bugs can survive on fab- rics for 4 hours.
Dead skin cells, sweat, saliva, and more can turn your comfy bed into a petri dish for germs to grow. For in- stance, lab tests found that swabs from pillowcases unwashed for a week har- bored 17,000 times more colonies of bacteria than samples taken from a toilet seat.
Pet Peeves
Do you sleep with your fur baby? Rover or kitty’s hair and dander on your bedding become extra buffet fare for dust mites. Dogs with a skin condition called mange can spread mites that burrow under your skin. You won’t catch human scabies, but your skin can turn itchy and irritated. Your pets also can pass on a fungal infection called ringworm of the scalp. Aim to change your sheets once a week.
Is your acne worse and you can’t fig- ure out why? Your dirty pillowcase could be to blame. The embedded dirt, dead skin, and bacteria can clog your pores. If you have bad breakouts, change your pil- lowcases every 2-3 days and the rest of your bedding once a week.
Pillow Toss
Where you rest your head at night can be full of fungus -- some can be dangerous to those with asthma. If your pillow -- the fluffy thing itself -- can be washed, do so at least twice a year. Follow the care label on how to do it. Make sure to rinse and dry it well to prevent mildew. If you use a pillow protector, toss it into the wash along with your pillowcase.
Let Your Sheets Breathe
You may have heard that the best way to kick start your day is to make your bed. But it might be wise not to rush. That’s because moisture builds in your sheets after each night of slumber. When you wake up, peel back the covers and give your bed a chance to dry. That makes it a less attractive nesting spot for bacteria and mites.
Bedbugs
These critters aren’t lured by dirty or clean sheets. They’re at- tracted to you. They live in warm places close to people, so your bed is perfect. Bedbugs crawl out at night and feed on your blood. You may wake up with itchy bite marks. The bugs travel to your home from places that are in- fested, like a hotel or dorm room. Dry your bedding on high heat for 30 minutes to kill the bugs and their eggs.
PAGE 10-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2019